Chinese man with 17 girlfriends caught out at hospital arrested for fraud

Chinese man with 17 girlfriends caught out at hospital arrested for fraud

A man in central China was caught cheating when 17 of his girlfriends visited him in hospital all at once

By Nicola Davison, Shanghai

A Chinese man who was caught dating 17 women after they all turned up to visit him in hospital following a car crash has been arrested for fraud.

The man, surnamed Yuan, from the city of Changsha in Hunan province, had been dating all the women at the same time, and even had a child with one, state media reported.

His luck ran out when hospital staff began contacting his loved ones in the wake of his accident.

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A stream of women between the ages of 20 and 40 turned up at Mr Yuan’s bedside only to learn of his substantial deception. Some women had been in a relationship with Mr Yuan for over a decade and at least one was planning their wedding.

“I was really worried when I heard that he was in hospital,” Xiao Li, a girlfriend of 18 months, told Xiaoxiang Morning Herald. “But when I started seeing more and more beautiful girls show up, I couldn’t cry any more.”

Now Mr Yuan is accused of fraud relating to taking money from the 17 women regularly, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.

His actions came to light after the women reportedly set up an chat group called “revenge alliance” online where they realised he had asked some of them for money every month, SCMP reported.

The story last month went viral on Chinese social media – although public opinion was divided.

Another user, Luk-Yiu, was less congratulatory: “A man with his looks managed to swindle girls and money, what an inspiring story!”

It was not just women that Mr Yuan deceived. According to China Daily he also fabricated a degree in civil engineering from Central South University, a well-respected university, in order to gain employment, though he only held a middle school diploma.